The "Sunken Lands" were created and as a result of the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. Strung out over about 30 miles through the St. Francis River Flood way, the area became nationally famous as a hunting and fishing area about 100 years ago.

Ownership

It is owned by AGFC. About 10,000 acres is owned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and is leased by the commission as part of the Management Area.

Age

Acquisition by the AGFC began on December 6, 1955 and continues through today.

Purpose

The size of the area, shortage of commission funds and the unwillingness of some owners to sell their land all combined to preclude the purchase of the entire St. Francis Sunken Lands. The commission therefore focused acquisition efforts in this area toward the mission of purchasing enough land to have a major voice in the management of water levels. Through the ownership of riparian rights the Commission acquired enough land to assure public access and public availability to major portions of the area as a whole. Additional land will be purchased from time to time. Because the land acquisition program is on going, some capital improvements have yet to be made. As the area is further consolidated by future land purchases, it will become more manageable and consequently offer more and better recreational opportunities in the future.

Description

With the exceptions of a few small tracts, the majority of the area lies within the main levees of the St. Francis River. Bottomland hardwoods make up the primary species of timber types associated with the area and include; White oak, red oak, hickory, locust, cottonwood, Bald cypress, tupelo, elm, sycamore and pecan.

Access

This area can be reached off several state highways from south of Paragould to Marked Tree. A major portion of the area is located east of Trumann in northeastern Poinsett County. Major access points are the Siphons Access off state highway 63 near Marked Tree; Oak Donnick Access, south of Trumann off state highway 63 near Tulot; and Stephens Landing off state highway 69 east of Trumann. The East Side of the area may be reached by either of two county roads off state highway 135 between Caraway and Rivervale. However, the best access to the interior of the area is by boat at ramps provided at Siphons Access, Oak Donnick Access and Stephens Landing, Mangrum Landing, Iron bridge Access and Lake City hwy 18 bridge access. Interior roads are limited to logging trails and are closed to all vehicular traffic, except for designated ATC trails for handicapped users. Signs designate these. Internal access requires boating from one of the launching areas or walking in from a vehicular access point. Area maps designating access locations are available at commission regional offices.

Hunting Opportunities

Waterfowl hunting accounts for the majority of recreational days on the Sunken lands Area, however, small game including squirrel, quail and rabbit are abundant. Deer and turkeys are present in fair numbers and provide good hunting opportunity at times. Like some of the other Delta Region Management areas, uncontrollable flooding of the entire area hampers management efforts for terrestrial wildlife and limits population levels to relatively low numbers. Habitat quality is otherwise favorable and trophy class deer are taken every year, although over all hunter success is low as compared to other regions of the state where forested habitat is more plentiful.

Both cottontail and swamp rabbits are present in good numbers and offer excellent hunting opportunity around field edges and along levees and borrow pit right of ways.

Fur bearers and non-game mammals as well as neo tropical migrant birds migratory birds species inhabit the hardwood timber forests of the St. Francis River Floodway. The area is vitally important to many migratory bird species, as it represents one of the larger contiguous tracts of bottomland hardwood habitat in Eastern Arkansas.

Roads and trails designated for handicapped use with ATCs are marked with signs. Further information
and area maps are available from regional offices.

Management Practices

Extensive agricultural development has occurred outside the levees and land use has been converted from timber to agricultural row crop production making the sunken lands an "island" of remaining bottomland hardwood forest in northeast Arkansas. Again, the disjunct and widely scattered distribution of commission ownership presents some special management problems. These combined with the occurrence of extreme flooding at all times of the year have limited management options. Unfortunately, the flood factor is not controllable and will continue to limit year around habitat availability for terrestrial wildlife species. Selective thinning of timber stands to improve stand quality and promote the growth of healthy food producing trees is a very important management tool. Specialized plantings to provide supplemental food and emergency food sources are carried out open lands where farming practices are possible. Special protective regulations to prevent over harvest during high water conditions have been utilized for years. The St. Francis Flood Prone zone is closed to hunting at any time an emergency exists due to high water conditions. Consult the current regulations guide for updated regulations pertaining to the St. Francis Flood prone Zone.

Very limited water level control is possible by utilizing the St. Francis lake Control Structure to raise winter water elevations during waterfowl season. This can be done successfully only if there is adequate in stream flow volumes in the St. Francis River. Every effort is made to hold water elevations at a level suitable for attracting ducks and providing public hunting opportunity. Unfortunately, unlike some other public hunting areas in the northeast region of the state, gravity flow water control systems are not available to ensure there will be ideal water level conditions by the opening of duck season every year. Development of such a system is under study for future development on the Sunken Lands. Fortunately, rainfall is usually adequate to provide natural flood conditions that are favorable for attracting ducks during winter months.

Moist soil management is carried out on the 280 acre Payneway Moist Soil Unit which was developed in 1998 as a rest area and winter food supply for ducks and other migrant birds.

Recreation Other Than Hunting

The lower end of the floodway contains the St. Francis Lake, which is a large open expanse of water. In reality, St. Francis Lake is a wide part of the St. Francis River. While the lake supports good populations of both game fish and rough fish species, and provides a large amount of fishing opportunity, Scientific state of the art management is difficult. This is because the "lake" really represents a riverine fishery as compared to a landlocked lake. Hence, ingress and egress of all kinds of fish to the "lake" are not controllable and cannot be artificially balanced and maintained by the same practices that are used on land locked lakes. The lake is fairly shallow due to accelerated silt deposits over the years, but still provides good catfish, bass, bream and crappie fishing. Access to the lake may be obtained from either the Siphons Access or Oak Donnick Access. Commercial fishing for buffalo, carp, and catfish is also a valuable resource of the lake and river.

Some isolated stands of old growth bald cypress still exist on the area, although most were cut for lumber early in the century. Such unique features are protected from cutting and are deferred from any commercial logging activities for any reason.

The area offers excellent opportunity for wildlife viewing and bird watching. The Payneway Moist Soil Unit located on the west side of the river, just north of the St. Francis Lake control Structure hosts a variety of shorebirds, eagles and several duck species. The area is flooded in October through February annually to provide wintering habitat for migrant birds and ducks. As many as 50,000 ducks are commonly seen on the area which is protected from hunting as a waterfowl rest area.

Restaurants and Other Facilities

Jonesboro, Trumann and Marked Tree are all within driving distance of the area. Overnight lodging facilities, stores and a variety of restaurants can be found. Motels can be also be found along state highway 63 from Marked Tree to West Memphis and in Paragould. Jonesboro offers the most diversity in lodging and entertainment within a 50-mile radius of the area.

Safety

Sportsmen using this area should take precaution against becoming disoriented and lost in the woods. The area is relatively large. Hunters getting lost is a common occurrence. A pocket compass and small survival kit should be carried along any time one enters an unfamiliar area of this size. Snakes are abundant, although as in the Big Lake WMA, Venomous species seem to account for only a small number. Like other bottomland areas, biting flies and mosquitoes are a major nuisance at times. Insect repellent is a must from spring to late fall.

The St. Francis River presents boating and water safety hazards whether the river level is low or under extreme flood conditions. Especially treacherous are the waters immediately above and below the St. Francis Lake Control Structures. The importance of strict adherence to boating laws and safety precautions cannot be over emphasized.

Daily readings for the oak Donnick Gauge on the St. Francis River are available from Drainage District No.17 (870) 358-2462, U.S. corps of Engineers, Memphis District (901) 544-3391 or Jonesboro Regional Office (870) 972-5438. All Gauge readings for the St. Francis River Basin are available on the USCOE web site at: http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/.